ABOUT SANDRA KOLANKIEWICZ Sandra Kolankiewicz’s poems have appeared widely, most recently in One, Otis Nebulae, Trampset, Concho RiverReview, London Magazine, NewWorld Writing and Appalachian Heritage. Turning Inside Out was published by Black Lawrence. Finishing Line has released The Way You WillGo and Lost in Transition. ABOUT THE POEM I have a friend with whom I go out hiking in the old watersheds of our little Ohio town. Many of the places we go used to have houses a hundred or so years ago, but because the houses were built on hillsides, they have all disappeared. Occasionally we will find daffodils poking up, an old rose bush, or some other remnant of a home, the foundation stones barefly visible in the moss and leaves. One day, however, we found this carving. We realized that whoever made it had taken a lot of time and also because of the date of the carving the hillside would have been in plain view for all of the houses to see—this would have been after the clear cutting and before the forests retook the hillsides. A very sobering find. I very much wanted to do justice to the experience. Good old Ohio, which had never allowed slavery, outed at the same time black young men are still being targeted. I am pleased you will publish the poem and hope it contributes to a conversation about equity, humanity, and love. Volume 8 No 1 - Page 51
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